3 men arrested for using stolen card details to buy electronics and gold bars

Three members of a transnational scam syndicate, aged between 29 and 36, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in using stolen debit and credit card details to commit payment fraud across Singapore.

The police said in a statement that since Nov 4, they had received several reports from victims who had discovered unauthorised transactions made to their debit and/or credit cards for purchases such as electronic products and jewellery in Singapore.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from CCTVs and police cameras, officers from the Central Police Division established the identities of the three men and arrested them on Nov 6 and 7.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had fallen for e-commerce-related phishing scams, where they unwittingly provided their card details as part of the checkout process.

Unknown to them, such e-commerce social media and websites are fake and used to deceive victims into providing their payment card details.

These details were then misappropriated and abused to make payments for popular model of mobile phones, electronic accessories, and gold bars without their knowledge.

This syndicate is believed to have defrauded more than ten victims, who collectively suffered financial losses amounting to more than $100,000.

Cash amounting to more than S$20,000, four gold bars, 27 Apple iPhones and other related mobile accessories were successfully recovered and seized.

The three men will be charged in court on Nov 8 with conspiracy to cheat under Section 420 read with Section 120B of the Penal Code 1871 which carries a jail term of up to ten years and a fine.

The police said they take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to be prudent when making online payments using their card details and to visit only reliable websites for online shopping.

They should also safeguard their card details and not to disclose sensitive banking information with anyone.

If their credit/debit cards are lost or stolen, immediately call their card-issuing banks and adopt the following crime prevention measures:

Do’s

• Keep your credit or debit cards safe with you at all times;
• Opt in for SMS notifications to be sent to your mobile phone for any charges incurred on your credit or debit cards; and
• Check your bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or unauthorised charges.

Keep your credit or debit cards safe with you at all times;

Opt in for SMS notifications to be sent to your mobile phone for any charges incurred on your credit or debit cards; and

Check your bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or unauthorised charges.

Don’ts

• Do not click on URL links in unsolicited emails and text messages and give out your credit or debit card details to unknown persons;
• Do not reveal your OTPs to anyone; and
• Do not expose your credit or debit cards. Keep them in your purse or wallet until you are ready to make your purchases.

Do not click on URL links in unsolicited emails and text messages and give out your credit or debit card details to unknown persons;

Do not reveal your OTPs to anyone; and

Do not expose your credit or debit cards. Keep them in your purse or wallet until you are ready to make your purchases.

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